Verso
by Daniel1709
Summary: A story about the mysterious disappearance of Simba and the Pride's slowly depleting cub count. Rated T to be on the safe side. Hope you enjoy! P.S Thanks to LoneWolf for the bullying of Nala idea!
1. Chapter 1

**Hey , nice to meet you! This is my first story, so I hope you like it! It's set when Nala & Simba are still cubs, way before Scar kills Mufasa.**

**Verso**

Mufasa's POV:

I was worried. I had relentlessly searched the whole of the Pridelands for my son, but to no avail. I returned to Pride Rock and we mourned our loss. I noticed that Nala hadn't left her spot on the tip of Pride Rock for days, and went out to comfort her.

"What's wrong, my dear?"

Her eyes blazing, she turned to look at me.

"Nothing."

"Please tell me, I can help."

"No!"

With that she skulked off.

Nala's POV:

Why didn't Simba come back! I feel like ice, and my heart is broken. I never got to tell him how I felt about him. I need to feel his soft, golden fur against mine, his soothing words comforting me when I am bullied by the other cubs. My life doesn't mean anything now.

I heard heavy footsteps behind me.

"What's wrong, my dear?"

How dare he ask me what's wrong! He knows perfectly well what's wrong! I turned to look at him.

"Nothing."

He pestered me a while longer, and overcome with the memories of Simba, I walked to the watering hole. Suddenly, there was a thunderous roar and lighting flared across the sky. The heavens started crying with me, and my tears mingled with the rainwater. I hid under a nearby tree, shaking with fright and jumping with every loud sound. I tried to be brave and imagine I was Simba, always brave and ready to face the storm. As I moved out from under my cover a bolt of lighting hit the tree and set it alight. I ran, screaming and crying, into the wilderness, just waiting for this nightmare to end.

**Well, that's the first chapter done! Is it a good size? A good style? This is only an introduction to the story to see how things work around here. I need reviews to answer these questions, however constructive criticism is always better than flaming!**

**Dan**


	2. Chapter 2

_**It's Simba time.**_

**Welcome, weary Internet surfer, to my lost scrolls of Honeydew. I hope you enjoy!**

**Verso**

Simba's POV:

_Why did you leave? _Muttered my conscience as I ran along a long winding path through dense foliage. I don't know why I was asking myself this, I knew why I left! My father always protected me, stopping me from doing anything fun! He said I could hurt myself! Just because I'm the next ruler of the Pride doesn't mean I can't sit away learning all about politics and the "correct way to dust oneself off after a particularly nasty tussle" with Rafiki, that stupid monkey!

He blabbers on and on about spirits and voodoo rubbish, but he never does anything interesting. Nala and I always used to beg him to show us a ghost or something, but then he would lecture us for ages about how it's "too dangerous" and, "likely to result in instant decapitation" whatever that means. I jumped up onto a rock and down into a pile of moss.

The Lionesses weren't much better either. They would just gossip, gossip, gossip. Lucky Simba, they must think, getting to learn about what the Lionesses talk about. I smashed at a branch in rage, cutting marks into it. That, and the fact my Mum was always washing me and kissing me in front of everyone.

I will never forget that time back when I was a baby where she picked me up in her mouth and dragged me into a gaggle of Lionesses to wash me. The circle of faces all around me, making the same annoying noises drove me mad! Whenever I try to tell her this, she just laughs at me! The only normal, sane Lioness is Nala, for goodness sake!

_Nala..._ No, I must forget about her. She just pretends to understand me! She uses trickery and lies to make me think she is the one that I should trust! When I talk to her, she just reports back to her Mum like a good little dog, so she can get a taste of love. That time I finally forgave her for it and told her everything she went straight to our parents. I can't hang around with her either, or I get sneers from the others cubs. At this, I chuckled to myself and calmed down a bit, an cool, confident look washing over me. Nala doesn't have any friends, and I was going that way too since they saw me with her.

Why did I even look at her, nobody else did. Well, apart from when we bullied her. That was a fun thing we did weekly, sometimes daily if she told on us. _But that's the reason you talked to her. You were concerned about her lack of friends or love. _Oh, and that's another thing! Her Mum doesn't give her any care. She always looks ragged and dirty since her "Mother" never washes her, and I never see her get kisses or hugs from anyone. She's just another reject of life, as I heard her Mum gossiping about one time. "Oh, yes, my daughter. She's not really worth bothering about anymore. See, the way I see it is all cubs will either be successful in life or rejected. It's just nature." Naturally, the Pride was very shocked about her outlook on everything and it was never mentioned again. I still remember it though.

I still remember **everything.** I smiled to myself and picked the splinters out of my once golden, clean fur. Now it's patchy and dull.

"Ah Simba," I said to myself "You look so dashing!"

I don't really know if out here is better, I'm always hungry. On the bright side, at least life is what I make of it. I can do anything. I can practice hunting one day, dive into a lake the next. Not that I'm very good at hunting. In fact, I'm starving right now. I could eat anything, but it always seems to get away. Fruit and vegetables aren't suitable for a mighty Lion like me! Nevertheless, this is certainly toughening me up and at least it is still Summer. I've always liked Summer, apart from all the sweating. Thinking about it, I know a perfect way to get back at my family, to show them what they really did to me!

Mufasa's POV:

Sarabi was complaining. She said I was much more withdrawn recently, and I always looked stressed out. But how could I not be stressed? First, my Son went missing. Now other cubs are being lost in the jungles, their bones found later. The Mothers live in fear, constantly watching over their cubs and not allowing them to do anything but chat. It's probably another Hyena attack on the Pride. They always did prey on the cubs or weak ones.

Sarabi herself isn't looking great. She has been ill a lot more recently, and Rafiki has been bustling in and out of the Den with his ointments and pastes. There was a strange, sickly scent of lavender around Sarabi, the kind that accompanies illness and death. I can't lose Sarabi too. I have decided to leave her with Rafiki, who has now brought all of his things into our corner of the Den, and look for Simba again. Maybe that's why Sarabi is ill.

When I go out on my searches I rarely take anybody, but I have decided to take Nala with me. Whenever I see her she is curled up crying and I think she will find me a better carer than her Mother, who seems to take no care in her. I don't know why she misses Simba, or if she even misses him at all. She hasn't been crying much more than she usually does anyway, but who knows what she cries about nowadays.

If Sarabi was better I'd let her provide much needed love to Nala, but I'm sure she'll be overjoyed if we find Simba.** If **is the word that worries me though. What's to say he isn't dead, or worse! I don't know anymore, I wish for the times when Simba, Sarabi and I were happily together and well.

Simba's POV:

My new meat diet was certainly filling, and recently I've been killing and leaving the carcasses to the birds. Oh, how I adore the mixture of emotions on a little cubs face as I jump out growling. I walked along a rocky overpass, and leapt down into the face of yet another cub, growling like there was no tomorrow. Now for my favourite part:

First, the cubs eye grew wide and it shouted "Simba!" _Shock._ Then, the cub gasped. _Realisation. _Worry filled it's eyes, and it backed away. _Panic._ Three delightful steps. I savoured the moment, then gave the cub an evil look and pounced.

After I had finished it off I wandered over to a pond and looked at my reflection. I had impressive claws and muscular legs. My fur was a dull gold and my tail whipped around like an agitated snake. My chest rose and fell as the elation of the kill wore off. My mouth was clean this time, as I had not eaten, but my teeth were sharp and nasty looking. My tongue was hidden within the dark depths of my mouth, and my eyes were just the way I liked them. Full of hate and ecstasy with an undertone of savagery, devoid of kindness or light. Oh, if anyone I knew saw me know they would turn and run for sure!

As I jogged back to my tiny den I realised it was not fit for an animal like me. I decided to look around, and found many edible things hanging off of plants. Oh, how I despised them. I stumbled across a patch of raspberries, and smiled. I always had had a soft spot for raspberries. I was just about to grab a few when I heard a rustle, and then a scraping sound. It sounded like claws on stone. Could this be a cave the Pride's cubs play in? I doubt they would go deep within the cave, so I decided to make that my new den. First, I would have to lure out it's occupant. I set about picking raspberries and I placed them outside the cave. I then crushed them and the smell wafted into the cave. I went and hid, watching the entrance.

After a while a female cub wandered out and started nibbling on the raspberries. I sneered, she looked so feeble. Suddenly, I burst out of my hiding place and streaked past the cub, screeching and clawing at her. She started crying and I laughed before running into the shadows of the far end of the cave and laid down, quietly growling. The cub sobbed. I started whispering to her.

Nala's POV:

We were out looking for Simba again. It's not like I don't want to, but after the way he treated me I'd rather not. However, I felt a strange need to help Mufasa, and I don't know why. We were searching through the jungle close to Pride rock when I thought I heard something. I walked to the area I thought the noise came from only to find a cave. I cautiously ventured inside, and started searching. A few minutes later I started smelling a very faint raspberry smell. My mind instantly thought of Simba, and how that was his favourite berry. How did I know that, I wondered, as I ventured out of the cave.

In front of me was a pile of raspberries. I was surprised, to say the least. Was this some sort of omen? There was a rustle and a golden cub burst out of a bush and ran toward me. I barely registered this as it sped past me and clawed at me. The pain was intense, I had never felt anything like it before even though the bullies had sometimes hit me. I burst into tears, finally broken. The cub screeched and shouted before retreating into the cave.

I got one last look at the cub, and saw a twisted, evil face laughing at me. It's fur was, though faded, still a brilliant gold and I instantly realised who this cub was. It was undoubtedly Simba, but not the Simba I knew. Something had changed him. I sobbed my heart out. I heard whispers from him. He said things that destroyed my confidence, seemingly attacking my very soul. I tried to ignore it, but it reminded me of how he used to bully me. I ran away, crying until I found Mufasa.

**I hope you liked it, now the story has really started! Review please :D**

**Au revoir.**

**Dan**


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